Sheet piling machine with scissors-type lift



Feb. 20, 1968 D. BUCCICONE 3,369,675

SHEET FILING MACHINE WITH SCISSORS-TYPE LIFT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1965 Feb. 20, 1968 D. BUCCICONE SHEET FILING MACHINE WITH SCISSORS-TYPE LIFT Filed May 10,' 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 [724262-425 flarw 56666400 726,

Feb. 20, 1968 D. BUCCICONE SHEET FILING MACHINE WITH SCISSCRS-TYPE LIFT 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 10, 1965 RM iilll I M ,i/EAJIlL \v Feb. 20, 1968 D. BUCCICONE 3,369,675

SHEET FILING MACHINE WITH SCISSORS-TYPE LIFT '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 10, 1965 ffzaezzjafi flaw 5 400000 736,

United States Patent 3,369,675 SHEET PILING MACHINE WITH SCISSORS-TYPE LIFT Dario Buccicone,'Gary, Ind., assignor to Bucciconi Engineering Co., Inc., Gary, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,536 6 Claims. (Cl. 214 6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sheet piling machine which comprises an overhead magnetic conveyor mounted on spaced end support frames and a pair of pile supporting platforms in the piling area, between the conveyor end frames, which may be raised and lowered either separately for accommodating separate piles of short length sheets or in unison for accommodating a single pile of longer sheets, wherein the platforms are mounted on scissors-type lift mechanisms driven by power operated vertical screws disposed in upright frames constituting part of the conveyor end support frames.

This invention relates to apparatus for piling metal sheets as they are advanced from an oscillating shear or the like by overhead magnetic conveyors which are operated to release the sheets for deposit in one or more piles and is more particularly concerned with improvements in lift structures for supporting the piles of sheets.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a sheet piling machine having overhead magnetic conveyors, associated guide and stop members for the sheets, and an improved lift mechanism which is characterized by two separate pile supporting beds capable of acting together to support a single pile of relatively long sheets or each independently operable to support a pile of shorter sheets.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a sheet piling machine of the overhead magnetic conveyor type having a special designed scissors-type lift unit with an actuating mechanism on one side and capable of collapsing so as to provide at minimum height the smallest possible dimension.

It is another object of the invention to provide in a sheet piler having an overhead magnetic conveyor for delivering the sheets to a pile and guide mechanism for maintaining the sheets in vertical alignment as they are released for deposit on a pile, a specially designed lift unit for supporting the pile which has a pile receiving frame or table and mechanism for raising and lowering the same at a uniform rate and with a minimum of strain on the mechanism.

It is a further object of the invention to provide in a magnetic sheet piler a lift 'unit of the scissors-type which is of rugged construction so as to withstand rough handling and support heavy sheets, which has a sheet supporting platform with associated mechanism for raising and lowering the same at a uniform rate and by means of a motor driven screw which is connected to the platform so as to relieve the strain on the lift arms connecting the same to a base frame.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the piler mechanism which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a sheet piler having incorporated therein the principal features of the invention, with portions thereof being broken away or omitted;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the piler machine shown in FIGURE 1;

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FIGURE 3 is a side elevation, to a larger scale, of one of the lift units for the piler of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a partial plan view of the lift unit of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4, to an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view, taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 4, to a larger scale;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary section taken on line 99 of FIGURE 3.

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2, the piler machine 10 comprises a plurality of laterally spaced, elongate rail-like conveyor units 11 which are suitably supported in longitudinally extending, parallel relation on end frames 12 and 13, the latter being disposed in upright relation at opposite ends of a piling area. The conveyor units 11 are of the overhead electromagnetic type and are preferably of the form disclosed in my Patent No.

3,150,764. Each conveyor unit 11 comprises an elongate frame with endless traveling belts and associated electromagnets which hold the sheets S against the bottom run of the conveyor. The end supporting pulleys for the traveling belts of each unit 11 are secured, at the one end of the machine, on a common cross drive shaft 14 which has a suitable connection with a drive motor 15 for driving the belts. The sheets S are fed to the bottom runs of the conveyor rail units 11 by an infeed conveyor 16 suitably mounted on the upright end frame 13 at the entrance end of the machine 10. The machine 10, as illustrated, is constructed so that it is capable of piling either two separate piles of sheets of relatively short length or a single pile of sheets of much greater length and is equipped with two identical lift units 20 and 20' for supporting the pile or piles. The conveyor formed by the rail units 11 has associated side guide mechanisms, also of identical character, which are indicated at 21 and 21', together with end stop mechanisms 22 and 22' and back stop mechanisms 23 and 23'. The side guide mechanisms 21, 21, end stop mechanisms 22, 22' and back stop mechanisms 23, 23, as shown, are of the type disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 375,503, now Patent No. 3,256,011, filed June 16, 1964, towhich reference may be had for details of these mechanisms. The side guides 21, 21', end stops 22, 22 and back stops 23, 23' are mounted on an overhead supporting frame 24 extending between the end frames 12 and 13 and above the conveyor rail units 11. The side guide mechanisms 21, 21', the end stops 22, 22 and back stops 23, 23' are mounted for longitudinal adjustment and the adjusting mechanism is preferably power driven as disclosed in application Ser. No. 375,503. The end stop mechanisms 22, 22' and back stop mechanisms 23, 23 are arranged so that the one end stop mechanism 22' and back stop mechanism 23 can be moved out of the path of incoming sheets thereby enabling both of the lift units 20 and 20' to be utilized for piling relatively long sheets, when desired. The end stop and back stop mechanisms 22' and 23 may be raised out of the path of the sheets or moved longitudinally to the end of the machine when the machine is adjusted for piling long sheets. I

The lift units 20 and 20' are of identical construction and are arranged in longitudinally aligned and spaced relation beneath the conveyor rail units 11. Since units 20, 20' are identical in construction, only one thereof will be described in detail. The lift unit 20 (FIGURES 3 and 4) comprises a base frame 25 of rectangular shape having en-d reinforcing plates 26 and 27 extending across opposite ends thereof on the bottom face of the frame and across bracing indicated at 28 (FIGURE 4) so as to keep the vertical dimensions of the frame to a minimum. The base frame 25 constitutes a support for a vertically movable pile receiving platform assembly 30.

The pile supporting platform or table assembly includes a main frame 31 of rectangular shape corresponding approximately to the shape of the base frame 25 and adapted to be positioned in vertically movable relation above the frame 25. The platform frame 31 includes cross plates 32 and 33 mounted on the top face at opposite ends of the frame. The base frame 25 and the platform frame 31 are connected by scissors-like arm assemblies 35, a plurality of which are spaced laterally of the structure. Each scissors-like arm assembly 35 comprises a plurality of interleaved, parallel plate members arranged in two sets 36 and 37 and connected by a center pivot 38 with the plates of one set interleaved with the plates of the other set. The one set of plates 36 is connected at the one end to a pivot pin 40 extending between the upstanding legs of a U-shaped bracket 41 secured on the top face of the bottom cross plate 26 and opening upwardly thereof. The other set of arm plates 37 is connected to a pivot pin 42 which extends between the depending legs of an inverted U-shaped bracket 43 secured on the bottom face of the cross plate 32 in the platform frame 31. The two pivot pins 40 and 42 are vertically aligned with their axes in parallel relation. At their other ends the two sets of plates 36 and 37 are provided with cross pins 44 and 45, respectively, which are arranged with their axes parallel and in vertical alignment. The pins 44 and 45 carry rollers 46 and 47, respectively, which are mounted between the plates of each set thereof and which are adapted to ride in parallel guide grooves 48 and 49 (FIGURES 3, 5 and 6) in guide plate 50 and 51 secured on the bottom and top faces, respectively, of the cross plates 33 and 27. The number of plates in each of the arms 36 and 37 and the number of arm assemblies 35 employed will depend upon the strength required and the maximum load for which the lift is designed.

The platform assembly 30 is raised and lowered by a power driven, screw operated mechanism 55 at one end of the lift. The screw assembly 55 (FIGURES 3, 7 and 8) comprises a pair of vertically disposed screws 56 and 56' suitably journaled in vertically disposed housings 57 and 57'. Each screw 56, 56' carries a traveling nut 58 forming a saddle for a bracket 60 extending from the end of a cross member 61 formed by two angularly related plates 62 and 63, one being in a horizontal plane and the other vertical (FIGURE 8). The bracket 60' is U-shaped with parallel, vertically upstanding legs 64 and opens outwardly. The legs 64- have curved, downwardly facing edges 65 which seat on the top surface of the nut 58 along opposite sides of the vertically disposed screw 56. Each screw 56, 56 is connected at its top end by a worm reducer unit 66 (FIGURE 7) to a transversely extending shaft 67 which has at one end a sprocket 68 and a drive chain 70 connecting with the output sprocket of a drive motor 71 (FIGURE 2). Rotation of the screws 56, 56, of course, through operation of the drive motor 71 raises and lowers the cross bar member 61 with uniform movement. The platform frame 31 has a plurality of brackets 72 mounted in outwardly directed relation on the end of the frame which extend over the top surface of plate 63 of the cross bar 61 and rest on support members 73 on the same so that raising and lowering the cross bar 61 by operation of the screws 56, 56' raises and lowers the frame 31, the latter dropping by gravity during the lowereing movement due to its own weight or the weight of a stack of sheets supported thereon.

To facilitate unloading of the lift platform 30 a plurality of driven rollers 75 are journaled at opposite ends in supporting brackets 76 and 76' extending along the ends of the frame 31. The center portions of the rollers 75 are supported by small rollers 77 journaled in parallel brackets 78 and 78' also mounted on the frame 31. At the inner end of each roll 75 there is provided a pair of sprockets 80 and 81 and adjoining rolls are connected in paired relation by drive chains 82 so as to rotate the rolls in the same direction from a common drive motor 83 (FIGURES 3, 4 and 9) which is mounted on a bracket 84 at the end of the frame 31 with an output sprocket 85 connected by a drive chain 86 with a pair of sprockets 87 and 88 on the ends of two of the adjacent rolls 75.

The lift units 20 and 20 are constructed in an identical manner except for being right and left hand, and are arranged on the machine so that the screw operated elevating mechanism 55 is, in the case of each assembly, disposed at the end of the piler adjacent the end supporting frames 12 and 13, thereby providing clearance for removal of the pile or piles out of the side of the piler without interference. The cross drive shafts 67 are oper ated by connection of independent drive motors 71 which may be synchronized to provide simultaneous movement of the lift beds 30 or provision may be made for con-- necting both shafts 67 for simultaneous operation by a single drive motor when it is desired to use the lifts as a single unit.

Take-off pallet conveyors 90, of well known construction, may be arranged on each side of the machine in alignment with the lift assemblies 20 and 20' to receive the pile or piles of sheets S as the latter are discharged through the side of the machine by operation of the roller driving motors 83.

The piler will, of course, be provided with a suitable electrical control circuit for operating the lift motors in properly timed relation to the delivery of the sheets to the plie or piles by the overhead conveyor rail units 11.

While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the illustrated form of the piling machine, it will be understood that other suitable materials .and equivalent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a sheet piling apparatus comprising an overhead sheet advancing conveyor supported on upright end frames spaced longitudinally at opposite ends of a piling area and having stop means which arrests the forward movement of the sheets so that they drop by gravity onto a pile in the piling area, a lift mechanism disposed between the end frames for supporting the pile of sheets, said lift mechanism comprising an upwardly opening, rectangular frame constituting a base and a platform assembly disposed for vertical reciprocation above the base, said platform assembly including a downwardly opening, rectangular frame, a plurality of scissors-like arms con necting the base frame and the platform assembly, said connecting arms including elongate plates pivotally con= nected to each other intermediate their ends and having corresponding ends connected to the base and platform assembly by parallel, vertically aligned transverse pivots disposed within the base and platform frames, respectively, said pivots being located at the ends of said frames which are adjacent an upright end support frame for the conveyor, the other ends of said connecting arms engaging in sliding relation oppositely disposed surfaces of vertically spaced bearing plates which are mounted in the bottom and top faces of said base and platform frames, respectively, a screw actuated mechanism for raising and lowering said platform frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced, vertically extending screws journaled in vertically disposed housings disposed adjacent said upright end support frame and operatively connected by a cross drive shaft, vertically traveling saddle forming nut assemblies on said screws, a cross bar member detachably supported at its opposite ends on said traveling nut assemblies and said platform frame having brackets extending from the end thereof and detachably supported on said cross bar member.

2. A sheet piling machine including an elongate, overhead, sheet advancing, conveyor, upright end frames spaced longitudinally at opposite ends of the piling area for supporting said overhead conveyor, means associated with said conveyor for arresting the forward movement of the sheets and guiding the same downwardly as they are released by the conveyor so that they drop onto a pile in the piling area, a lift mechanism arranged between the upright end frames for receiving the pile of sheets, which lift mechanism has an upwardly opening base frame and a downwardly opening sheet receiving platform frame disposed for vertical reciprocation above the base frame, a plurality of arms forming a scissorslike connection between the base frame and the platform, said connecting arms being spaced laterally of the path of travel of the sheets and each including two sets of elongate plates with the plates of each set in spaced, parallel relation and pivotally connected intermediate their ends to the plates of the associated set thereof, the two sets of plates being connected at one corresponding end to said base frame and platform by parallel, vertically aligned, transversely extending pivots disposed within the base frame and platform, respectively, said pivots being adjacent an upright end support frame for the conveyor, the other ends of said connecting arms having anti-friction rollers between the ends of the plates in sliding engagement with bearing plate members in the top and bottom sides of said base and platform frames, respectively, means at the ends of said base and platform frames which are adjacent an upright conveyor end support frame for raising and lowering the sheet receiving platform with uniform movement, which means comprises a pair of vertically disposed screws spaced laterally of the path of the sheets through the-machine and outside the end of the piling area, traveling saddle members mounted on the screws, a cross frame member resting at its opposite ends on said saddle members and said platform frame having spaced bracket means resting on the cross bar member so as to rise and fall with said cross bar member.

3. =In a sheet piling machine having an overhead sheet advancing conveyor supported on upright frames spaced longitudinally at opposite ends of a piling area and associated stop means for arresting the forward movement of the sheets so that they drop by gravity onto a pile in the piling area, a pair of lift mechanisms for supporting two piles of sheets disposed in spaced relation between the end frames, said lift mechanisms each comprising a base frame and a platform assembly including a rectangular frame disposed for vertical reciprocation above the same, a plurality of crossed arm assemblies connecting the base frame and platform assembly, said connecting arm assemblies each including two sets of elongate plate members with the plate members of each set thereof pivotally connected intermediate its ends with the plate members of the associated set and each set of plate members being pivotally connected at corresponding ends to the base and platform frames, respectively, the other ends of said connecting arms engaging in sliding relation confronting surfaces of vertically spaced bearing plates mounted within said base and platform frames, respectively, a screw actuated mechanism for raising and lowering each of said platform frames disposed at the end of the frame adjacent a conveyor end support frame which mechanism comprises a pair of laterally spaced, vertically extending screws journaled in said upright end support frame, means for rotating said screws, vertically traveling saddle forming nuts on said screws, a cross bar member supported at its opposite ends on said nuts and a plurality of spaced brackets extending from the end of said platform frame intermediate the sides thereof and carried by said cross bar members.

4. In a sheet piling machine as recited in claim 3, and means for rotating said vertically extending screws in synchronism whereby to enable said pair of lift mechanisms to be employed as a single unit for supporting a single pile of sheets which extend onto both lift mechanisms.

5. A pile supporting mechanism for a sheet piling machine comprising a horizontally disposed, elongate, rectangular base frame, an elongate, rectangular platform frame superimposed on said base frame, a plurality of connecting arms disposed for movement in a vertical plane and between said frames so as to hold said platform frame in a horizontal plane as it is raised and lowered, said connecting arms each being pivotally connected at one end to one end of one of said frames and slidably engaged at the other end adjacent the other end of the other one of said frames, each said connecting arm being pivotally connected intermediate its ends to an adjoining arm so as to co-operate therewith and provide a scissorslike movement, an elevating screw disposed at one end of the frames with its axis extending vertically, a vertically traveling nut assembly on said screw, means connecting the platform frame with said traveling nut assembly, power means for rotating said elevating screw so as to raise and lower said platform frame, said connecting arms each comprising a plurality of elongate narrow plates with the plates of each said connecting arm being interleaved with the plates of the associated connecting arm, and anti-friction rollers mounted between the plates of each connecting arm at the slidably engaged ends thereof.

6. A pile supporting mechanism as recited in claim 5, and said frames having portions provided with track formations for receiving therein the anti-friction rollers on said connection arms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,274,546 8/1918 Hilliker 2 54122 2,661,927 12/1953 Hulsart 254126 2,764,869 10/1956 Scherr 214-512 2,789,704 4/1957 Lewin 214-6 2,862,689 12/1958 Dalrymple et al 254122 2,960,242 11/1960 Herr et a1. 214-6 3,079,150 2/1963 Lopez 2146 3,272,351 9/1966 Burton et al. 214-6 GERALD M. FOR-LENZA, Primary Examiner. J. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

